# Pressed Meerschaum Pipes



## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

Does anyone have photos or links to pressed Meerschaum pipes?

I am interested in seeing what they look like v. real, mined Meer.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Pics may or may not make the differences clear. But if you hold a block meer next to a pressed meer, it's easier to see. Think the diff between whipped cream (block) and chalk (pressed). Block meer looks more translucent.

A good test is the saliva test. Put some saliva on your finger and touch the inside of the bowl on an unsmoked pipe. If it's block, your finger will stick as the block absorbs the saliva. If it's pressed, it won't stick as easily because pressed meer has its pores blocked.


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## Granger (Jul 24, 2010)

CWL said:


> Does anyone have photos or links to pressed Meerschaum pipes?
> 
> I am interested in seeing what they look like v. real, mined Meer.


When a BOTL considers buying pressed meer, I am reminded of the famous story of Eugene O'Neil. He was asked by MGM, in 1932, to write a screenplay for Jean Harlow whom he did not admire, and to cable back his response in twenty words or less, collect.

His response read thus: "No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. O'Neill."


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## Jogi (Dec 4, 2009)

It might sound like a threadjack, but I was browsing around looking at meers, and I found out that AND meerschaums are selling standard-sized(??) pipes pretty cheap, too cheap for a block meer I guess. More llike the price for a pressed-meer... Can someone explain??

AND Meerschaum Pipes - AND Meerschaum Pipes Catalog


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

"All pipes are individually hand carved from high quality Eskisehir block meerschaum." AT least that what it says on the page that leads to your link.


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## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

Granger said:


> When a BOTL considers buying pressed meer, I am reminded of the famous story of Eugene O'Neil. He was asked by MGM, in 1932, to write a screenplay for Jean Harlow whom he did not admire, and to cable back his response in twenty words or less, collect.
> 
> His response read thus: "No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. O'Neill."


Hey now, I didn't say anything about buying pressed block. I was just curious how to tell the difference since I cannot find one pressed-block Meer being sold anywhere, yet we are always being cautioned against buying them.

So either they aren't as available as people think, or they are everywhere and nobody can tell.


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

Jogi said:


> It might sound like a threadjack, but I was browsing around looking at meers, and I found out that AND meerschaums are selling standard-sized(??) pipes pretty cheap, too cheap for a block meer I guess. More llike the price for a pressed-meer... Can someone explain??
> 
> AND Meerschaum Pipes - AND Meerschaum Pipes Catalog


From their FAQ page,



> *WHAT ARE YOUR PIPES MADE OF?*
> All of our pipes are made of high quality *block* meerschaum. We do not sell pressed meerschaum.


They have a MI PO Box and a 734 area code. Wile these things can be done to fake like they are in the US. Their shipping time estimates tell me this isn't likely. So with that said, if they are in the US they are held to the same false advertising laws as any other vendor, be it a brick and mortar or internet only base operation.

At 35 bucks a pipe, IMO it's worth the risk.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

CWL said:


> ...we are always being cautioned against buying them...


Nossir! Not by me.

My Pioneer '70s-era calabash has a pressed meer bowl and, except that it started out coloring with concentric pinkish circles, it has been a bowl to love. It browned out after a while - no cracks, no bad taste, no chunks falling out - no worries at all. I would not dissuade anyone who wants a calabash gourd from buying a Pioneer because it has a pressed bowl. Not mine - I like mine. But someone elses, sure.

I also have a small-ish lattice-basket-in-hand bent (pressed) meer and I *encourage* you to buy it (from me). It is sorta pinkish brown with yellow smudges that show up here and there, the push-pull broke after a year, it gurgles worse than my stomach after three beers and a double-sausage pizza, you can't beg a pipecleaner to go through it and it has a lovely fitted case. $50.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> My Pioneer '70s-era calabash has a pressed meer bowl and, except that it started out coloring with concentric pinkish circles, it has been a bowl to love. It browned out after a while - no cracks, no bad taste, no chunks falling out - no worries at all. I would not dissuade anyone who wants a calabash gourd from buying a Pioneer because it has a pressed bowl.


Word.

Many of the calabash gourd pipes are being sold with pressed meer bowls. I've heard no complaints about the bowls not being block. Real gourd pipes with block meer bowls are extremely expensive, too!

As for pressed meer pipes, I think it's clear that they won't have the look of real meer, the patina will be weird to say the least and they'll smoke hotter and wetter due to the lack of pores. But that's not to say they can't smoke nicely. I would suspect that its the gourd of the calabash pipes that provide 75% of the smoking characteristics of these pipes, not the meer bowl. But who knows for sure?


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

dmkerr said:


> ...As for pressed meer pipes, I think it's clear that they won't have the look of real meer... ...that's not to say they can't smoke nicely.


The pressed gurgler I own has a small (3mm) airway with a major bend; I think it was born to gurgle from bad geometry and not from bad materials. Unless coloration is a big issue I can't say there's anything wrong with pressed meer from my limited experience.

As to the original post, I have photos of each but they won't show you what is a very subtle difference.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> The pressed gurgler I own has a small (3mm) airway with a major bend; I think it was born to gurgle from bad geometry and not from bad materials. Unless coloration is a big issue I can't say there's anything wrong with pressed meer from my limited experience.
> 
> As to the original post, I have photos of each but they won't show you what is a very subtle difference.


Probably nothing real wrong with it at all. You know how purists are! I'm one to a degree. Then again, it's true that a pressed meer does not have the absorbency of block. It's physically impossible, as their is no grain (and yes, block meer has a very definite grain pattern) and the epoxy/dust merger tends to close the pores that are abundant in block meer.

That said, you're 100% correct about the physics of your pipe. Not much you can do but open the airway, which is something I wouldn't trust myself to do.


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